It is of course highly undesirable to expose electrical connectors such as connected electrical plugs and receptacles to moisture. Exposure of these connectors to rain and other sources of moisture can create a hazardous situation, even if ground fault interrupters are employed in the electrical circuit. If a GFI is in the circuit even relatively minor contact between an electrical connector and moisture can trigger the GFI. This is a common problem, for example, when holiday and other types of outdoor lighting are involved.
Individuals have attempted to solve the water incursion problem by wrapping electrical connectors with plastic bags or sheets and taping the wrapped plastic bag or sheet in place about the connector. This practice is generally unsuccessful since it does an inadequate job of keeping water from the connector, particularly where rain or water sprays apply a considerable amount of water. It is almost impossible to prevent water from leaking into the connector using this approach since it does not create effective water-proof seals.
It is also known to utilize molded plastic members clamped at the ends of two connector elements, such as a receptacle and electrical plug, which cooperate to form a seal. However, such arrangements are not only costly, they do not adapt to different sizes and configurations of connector components. Even in situations where the molded plastic clamp structures are sized correctly relative to the connector components, the seals created are often not good enough to provide true water-proofing of the electrical connector. Then too, this type of prior art device is relatively expensive and may be somewhat difficult to install correctly or quickly.